We might assign more reasons, if it were necessary ; but we trust that these are sufficient for the justifying
of the Father's conduct towards his Son. If, as has been shewn, the Father saw that the bruising of his Son would be pleasing to his Son, beneficial to man, honourable to his law, and glorious to him- self, it can surely be no imputation on the Father's character to say, " It pleased him to bruise his Son."
Amidst the many reflections which naturally arise from this subject, such as the greatness of the Father's love (in that " he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all"), and the danger of unbelief (in that, if we yield to it, the Father's wrath will infallibly fall on usA), and others too numerous to mention, we shall con- fine our attention to one ; namely,
Hozv great must be the evil of sin !
We have seen the immaculate Jesus bruised under the weight of his Father's wrath, and his Father pleased with bruising him ; and from whence did this arise ? From the evil, the dreadful evil, of sin. Sin had in- troduced confusion into the divine government ; sin had set the divine perfections at variance : sin had dishonoured the divine law : sin brought the Son of God from heaven : sin put him to death : and, had he not died, sin would have sunk us all into the lowest abyss of misery for ever. Sin reduced God himself to the necessity of delighting either to punish us, or to bruise his own Son. What must sin be, when such are the effects arising from it ! And yet how lightly do we think of it ! how unconcerned are we about it! But did our Surety think lightly of it, when he cried, "My God, my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" Did the Father think lightly of it, when he was bruising his own Son ? and do they think lightly of it who are now receiving the wages of it in hell ? If nothing less than the blood of Christ could expiate it, is it a small evil ? If it crushed even him with its weight, though he had none of his own to answer for, shall we find it easy to bear, who are so laden with iniquities ? Let us but look at sin one moment as it appears in the death
d Mark xvi. 16.
973.1 ciirists death a condition of salvation. 397
of Jesus ; let us recollect that he was God equal with the Father ; and that yet he almost sunk under the load ; let us recollect this, I say, and we shall surely begin to tremble, lest we should lie under the weight of it for ever. We never shall see sin aright, till we view it in the tears and groans, the blood and agonies, of the Son of God : for there at once we behold both the evil, and the remedy of sin ; there at once we learn to fear and hope, to weep and rejoice. If we look at sin in any other view, we may dread its consequences; but we shall never hate its malignity. But if we view it in the dying Jesus, we shall be delivered from the fear of consequences, because the guilt of it was ex- piated by him ; and we shall begin to lothe it as a hateful and accursed evil. This is the only source of ingenuous, evangelical repentance ; nor till we " look on Him whom we have pierced, shall we ever mourn aright for sin, or be in bitterness for it, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born." Let us then look at sin in this light, and we shall soon be like-minded with the Father ; we shall be pleased with the suffer- ings of Jesus ; they will be our hope, our plea, our joy, our boast ; and we shall exultingly say with the Apostle, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."